


Dazed and Disheveled

by AlternateBubblegum



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Akechi spent hours deciding on what cake to order Ren, Denial of Feelings, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, POV Akechi Goro, Slow Burn, Social Links | Confidants (Persona Series), Teen Romance, Touch-Starved, oh look it's not smut for ONCE
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:13:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29054190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlternateBubblegum/pseuds/AlternateBubblegum
Summary: Goro Akechi planned everything down to the letter: the invitation, the location, the cake, even.He most certainly had not planned on Ren running her fingers through his hair, or touching his face, or flustering him past the point of speech.(Fem!Joker, based off of Akechi's Rank 3 event)
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 8
Kudos: 54





	Dazed and Disheveled

**Author's Note:**

> Yet another self-indulgent Fem!Joker AU, because I can!
> 
> I saw another Persona 5 writer distinguish their male Joker as Akira and female Joker as Ren and really liked that idea, so I'm incorporating that theme into my own works. 
> 
> My FemJoker in my first work, "We Fall Apart As It Gets Dark," is named Rin because of the way the Inuyasha character's name is spelled... I thought at the time it was a slightly more feminine variation, like that really matters at all.
> 
> Anyways: thanks for reading! :)

Everything was, as usual, going according to plan.

Goro Akechi couldn’t help but smirk inwardly at the sight of Ren Amamiya seated across from him, pliant and unguarded as she finished off the last of her pastry. He had ordered for them both, claiming to want to try the rumored desserts at a new cafe. “Devil’s food cake for the lady, please,” he’d told the waiter, stifling the sudden urge to grin when Ren’s eyes had snapped to his face.

A little inside joke at her expense.

And though she may not have been privy to the joke itself, Ren’s sharp gaze certainly seemed to suggest that she knew his words carried a deeper meaning. That was just like her, Goro mused. For as little as the pair knew about each other, it was almost unnerving how well she seemed to read his every facial flicker—like she possessed the ability to see into his very soul.

Or heart, rather.

Yes, Ren Amamiya was indeed a fascinating creature, and Goro intended to use every opportunity to study her. More specifically, her suspected ties to a certain organization.

If he just kept pressing deeper, Ren would have to slip up eventually and reveal valuable information. Or maybe, he could use Ren herself to lure the Phantom Thieves out of hiding.

The possibilities were endless. It made his heart race.

Careful to keep his expression schooled into the polite personality he so detested, Akechi cast a bright smile at Ren. “Well, that _was_ delicious, wasn’t it?”

Ren opened her mouth as if to respond when the shrill voice of a young woman suddenly rang out:

“Hey look, isn’t that him?”

Out of reflex, Akechi immediately ducked his head; Ren’s, however, swiveled to the side to locate the source of the excited voices now pouring in from the street.

“Ohh, you mean the guy who’s on TV these days… what was his name again?”

“Wasn’t his name Akechi-kun? You know, the next-generation Detective Prince?”

“Should we ask for an autograph? Might be something worth bragging about…”

Annoyance swept through Goro so quickly he almost shook from the force of it, swallowing hard and shaking his head to dispel the furious rush. _Not even twenty goddamn minutes of peace._

He released a sigh then, looking up at Ren through his lashes with an expression he knew to be pitiable: the wounded eyes of a boy simply overwhelmed by expectations. Well, it wasn’t a total lie.

“Uh oh,” he said. “Looks like I’ve been spotted.”

Ren, without missing a beat, replied: “Should’ve figured.”

So Ren. There was nothing condescending about her tone, but neither was she coddling; no, always straight to the point. Her quick delivery forced a startled chuckle from Goro, which he tried to cover with a patient smile. “She’s just here for the cake, I’m guessing. I’m sure she doesn’t mean any harm, but I don’t want to cause any trouble for the store…”

As if on cue then, a man’s voice joined the fray: “Huh? Is someone important here?”

“Who is it?” Another female passerby gasped loudly. “Is it a celebrity!?”

_Pathetic vermin_. Goro resisted the urge to grind his teeth. This was a favorable outcome, after all, a sign that all his efforts at playing the charming Detective Prince were being recognized. It didn’t alleviate the irritation caused by the clamboring masses as they chased him from any respite he might take.

Out loud, Goro only said, “Looks like I’m out of time. I wish I could’ve relaxed a little longer, though... we should go.”

Ren, however, stayed firmly planted in her seat. “You’ve done nothing wrong,” she said, a small frown pulling at her lips.

“Sorry, but I think it’d be best if I leave. I’m only going to cause problems if I stay.” Goro hesitated and tilted his head, appraising Ren for a brief moment. “A shame I don’t have glasses like you. Maybe I would have been able to get out of this situation.”

At his words, Ren’s usually immobile expression transformed again; the edges of her mouth twitched up with what Goro could only call _mischief_.

“Why don’t we find out?” Ren asked, pulling herself fluidly out of her chair.

As she advanced on him, an uncanny sense of—fear? anticipation?—swelled in Goro, pulling him flush against the back of his own seat.

“Huh? Hey, what are you—!?” His words cut off the instant small, cool fingers grazed the sides of his face. Ren had removed her glasses and was now _leaning over him_ to slide the pair onto the bridge of his nose, completely focused as she settled each end over the tips of his ears. Which he was maddeningly sure were turning bright red by now, if the flush lacing itself up his neck was any indication.

The lens were perfectly clear, meaning that when Goro looked up into the face so alarmingly close to his, he saw what he had only caught a fleeting glimpse of before: large, steely grey eyes, framed by long black eyelashes.

Ren Amamiya was _very_ lovely.

The thought came unbidden to him, deliberate as any fact. The incessant beating of his heart, however, soured this observation, made it into a prickling thing he wished to bury and never look at twice again. What was the use in her being pretty?

But— _oh_. Now her hands were _in his hair_ , gently pulling at locks as she organized them into what felt like disarray. Stunned, he could only watch as her lips (which, yes, were _also quite lovely_ to look at) pursed in concentration with her task. As she ruffled his hair into a new state of being, her short nails just barely grazed his scalp—once, twice. The foreign sensation, though without a hint of pain, made Goro dig his own nails into the palms of his hands to keep from flinching away.

When had someone ever been in such close proximity to him? Not even the makeup artists at the stations he’d been invited to had so thoroughly, so _confidently_ , claimed his space.

Ren touched him like they’d known each other for years.

When she finally stepped back to survey her work, smiling to herself as if she were pleased, Goro slowly released the breath he’d been holding. Despite the means to obtain the glasses, he was suddenly intensely grateful for the shield they provided him as he attempted to calm his still-racing heart. He only wished he could do something about the burn persisting in his cheeks.

How—how _dare_ she?

Just as Ren had settled back into her seat, the voices of the fangirls returned, even closer than before.

“Oh, he’s back! This time, I’ll get his autograph for…”

In the pause that followed, it was easy for Goro to blame his pounding heartbeat on the idea of being recognized now. He certainly didn’t want images of his current appearance being circulated on the Internet—he could only imagine how ridiculous he looked in this state, sitting dazed and disheveled.

“Hey, is that boy really Akechi-kun?”

“You know… now that I see him up close, I’m not sure…”

“Maybe you were seeing things?”

The small crowd that had begun building around the cafe finally started to disperse. Goro was dumbstruck anew, sitting frozen while disappointed fans trickled out of the street, berating one another for mistaking some dumb student for their beloved Detective Prince.

Arms casually folded across her chest, Ren watched those people leave with open satisfaction. She glanced at Goro and arched a brow, grinning crookedly. The sight of it stirred something in his gut, similar to when he’d seen her eyes up close for the first time.

Yes, sure, she was pretty.

But the look she’d given him was absolutely _wicked_. Completely contradictory to the cool, unaffected persona she played.

How very intriguing.

Once the coast was clear once again, Goro returned Ren’s glasses and tried to smooth his hair down as best as he could, noting the amusement that flitted across Ren’s face.

“I can’t believe you actually did that,” he said. “I suppose I’d better learn to watch what I say around you.”

“You looked great,” Ren responded, hardly bothering to conceal the laughter in her voice.

It was that new, playful tone that worked to finally soothe Goro’s frazzled nerves. _She was opening up_.

Maybe just a little for now, but it was definitely progress from the closed-off expressions and ambiguous statements she’d given him in the past.

And that was all the encouragement Goro needed.

* * *

Afterwards, on the train home, Goro reflected on the whole experience.

_Reflected_ was how he framed it, as if he’d consciously chosen to think back on the encounter with Ren and comb through it for details. In actuality, he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

The shock of her eyes.

Her fingertips brushing his skin.

Such trivial little things that seemed almost, disgustingly, _romantic_ , that burrowed themselves under his skin and made him feel _sick_. He knew the real reason for these feelings though, and they were sourced not from her light touches or her scent (the faint aroma of coffee beans and something distinctly floral, like she’d bathed in— _off track_ ). No, what twisted his insides into knots was the carelessness with which she’d invaded his boundaries, putting her hands on him like they were _friends_.

He didn’t want to think on it too much longer; his face was beginning to heat up again, dammit.

Anyway, he had discovered something _much_ more important during that instance, a confirmation of a suspicion he’d had for a while.

Back at the cafe, Ren’s actions had surprised him so much that it had taken a moment to register the fact that had, quite literally, presented itself right before his eyes.

There was no prescription on the glasses. Ren didn’t need them at all.

The mystery that was Ren Amamiya just kept on building, and it was one Goro couldn’t _wait_ to solve.


End file.
